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Dr. Josef Onoh is the former Southeast Spokesperson for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the 2023 Presidential elections and the Chairman of Forum of former members of Enugu State House of Assembly.
In this special interview to mark his birthday on August 31, 2024 the Coordinator, Asiwaju Renewed Mandate, Southeast bares his minds about the ‘State of The Nation’, Buhari anti-corruption policy, Yahaya Bello alleged Money Laundering of N80.2b, Insecurity In The South East, Tinubu’s cabinet, other political issues with the Publisher of SOJ WORLDWIDE ONLINE NEWS, Adesoji Omosebi.
Who is Dr. Josef Onoh?
I’m a clinical psychologist and profiler, born and raised in Scotland, United Kingdom. I developed a passion for wildlife and nature from childhood with my late mother and Sir David Attenborough having a great influence in my life.
That influenced me in my adult life to becoming a wildlife conservationist and eventually founded the Woodland Park Zoo wildlife Educational Trust located in Enugu. It’s the only existing private owned and funded zoological facility and wildlife charity trust in the South East and probably Nigeria.
Prior to that, I worked in the Private Sector rising to become an Executive Director Personnel Management of Eastern Bottlers a subsidiary of (Limca Bottlers Plc) from 2000 – 2002.
Currently I’m engaged in Wildlife Conservation, Hospitality and Real Estate Development.
I’m a member of the Institute of Hospitality United Kingdom.
Could you please tell us briefly about your family background?
I come from a family of eight with six surviving children of Chief Dr. & Mrs. C.C.Onoh of blessed memory.
While my mother was an Educationist and Conservationist, My father was a Real Estate Lawyer, Activist, politician and historian amongst other things.
What Awolowo represented to the South West was what he represented to the Wawa people of the South East.
The only difference is that like the South West that respects and appreciate Awolowo’s sacrifices, the South East, especially Enugu State will rather envy and do everything within their powers to bring the Onoh legacy and anything associated with him down just for the simple reason “why should it be an Onoh?
He dedicated his entire life and finances in championing for their liberation from the oppression of then Anambra indigenes and he actualised the creation of Enugu State through his long endearing and affectionate friendship with Gen.Ibrahim Babangida which came at a great cost to him and our family.
Despite all that sacrifice, not one single street or Government building is named in his honour in Enugu State and that gives you an idea of how nasty they can get.
Ibo’s in general have a deep rooted DNA of never helping each other and will continuously battle to bring each other down.
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Your father was the former Governor of old Anambra State, what have you learnt from him as a Governor?
That Nigerian Politicians lack integrity, they don’t have a plan for the future, they live for the moment and next election. They only celebrate the office they occupy and once you leave they desert you like rats abandoning a sinking ship.
They are carried away with the euphoria of their office with an arrogance of superiority to match, they become demi gods. Once they leave office they become more humble than a church rat drenched by heavy downpour.
They start to rebel against the same cage they put themselves while in power, they start to seek old friends they didn’t help while in power.
The most important lesson I learnt from my father was never to allow political office ruin you. Build your private business, don’t change who you are, don’t ask for favours because they might ask you a favour in return that you can’t give and never confuse public funds to be personal funds.
Finally politics isn’t about friendship, sincerity, honesty, or goodwill rather it’s purely about personal interest and selfishness.
Have you held any political position, if any, what are the positions?
I was elected a member of Enugu State House of Assembly representing Enugu North 2003-2007. I was the House Committee Chairman, Finance and Appropriation.
I was appointed an Adviser to the the Enugu State Governor, Rt Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Domestic Matters in 2015, later appointed as an Adviser on Security Matters, appointed a Senior Special Adviser on Special Projects, appointed Chairman Joint Task Force on Ministry of Environment and Capital Territory, appointed Commissioner Office of the Governor and Executive Chairman Enugu Capital Development Authority 2019-2022 and re-appointed as Executive Chairman of Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA 2022-2023.
I was told you are formerly a Chieftain of the opposition party, PDP, how did you suddenly become a member of the APC and playing a leading role as the Spokesperson of Tinubu in the Southeast?
My political life started with the Grassroot Democratic Movement and we had Alhaji Gambo Lawal as our Presidential candidate, unfortunately the Abacha interference truncated our dream.
I later joined ANPP in 1998 and when I couldn’t clinch the ticket for the Councillorship election I moved to the PDP ran for same position and lost. I remained in the PDP and was elected a member of Enugu State House of Assembly representing Enugu North 2003-2007.
And I contested for the Enugu North LGA elections in 2007 but lost the primaries in line with the PDP’s method of selection instead of election to my uncle.
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I was vocal in support of the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to implement the doctrine of necessity both in media publications and pressure group support against the then cabal known as friends of Yaradua, I and late Prof. Dora Akuyili worked tirelessly.
Nigeria will never see another of her kind in a very long time. She was a rare talented breed.
I ran for the office of Governor in the 2023 elections but was schemed out by the PDP act of selection and majorly promoted by elders and statesmen from Nkanu who only wanted an indigene of Nkanu East or West to be Governor to the detriment of the remaining four other Local Governments that make up Enugu East Senatorial Zone.
It was after the kangaroo governorship primaries by the PDP that even Sen. Ike Ekweremadu got only one vote that I knew how ridiculous the entire setup was and coupled with the fact that Atiku Abubakar became the Presidential flag bearer I knew it was time to leave the party as it was a sinking ship with soulless sails men sailing to their doom.
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I knew from the onset that Asiwaju was a candidate to beat and my worry was the APC Primaries because no one, not even APC members from the South East wanted him, they either wanted Senator Lawal or Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo who enjoys a good support in the South East because he was a Pastor and the entire Muslim /Muslim ticket was an issue in the South East.
Everyone deserted me, I was seen as a failure and no single politician in the South East even amongst my fold wanted to be associated with me.
Tinubu represented everything they feared and also IPOB members were ready to kill you if you dared identify with Tinubu. I threw caution to the wind, even my own kids voted for Peter Obi under my own roof. It was in London that Festus Keyamo the current Minister for Aviation sat with me and pointed out the importance of making an awareness break through in the South East because nobody was speaking for the party, no body was bold enough to create awareness and promote Bola Tinubu and their fears were justified because once Joe Igbokwe tried it, they burnt his house down and that created the ultimate fear.
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Even APC Governorship candidates were campaigning and never dared to mention or ask the electorates to vote for Tinubu out of fear I challenge them to bring their campaign videos.
So I and Keyamo decided we had to push, same way we tried to dialogue for Buhari with prominent South East politicians and governors to achieve 25% votes in the 2019 ballot although we were betrayed but it didn’t discourage us and together we pressed on and I became the only voice prompting Tinubu and the APC in the South East.
It’s just now he won that they are all giving him lip service loyalty. I must acknowledge Keyamo’s effort too. I simply believed in Tinubu, I believe in the Renewed Hope Vision and no matter the disappointments, I’m still standing on his mandate without apology and I have no godfather in the South East so it’s obvious a lot of APC actors don’t like my position in speaking against their betrayals.
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By 2026 that’s when the President will realise he has less than 20 people in the South East that genuinely believes in him and support him.
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You seem to be bold and courageous in confronting the weaklings in Tinubu’s cabinet, what is your motivating factor?
The motivating factor is simple. We worked tirelessly at the detriment of our well being to support the President, we shared in his vision, most of us committed our soul to ensuring he wins and succeeds and immediately after his victory we were all shocked to our bone marrow how he started rewarding strangers who didn’t play any significant role nor believe in his mandate.
Most of them were anti Tinubu and hauled all sorts of insults at him, we engaged viciously most of them and once victory was won they became the price. They never believed in him, they never worked for the position they were rewarded with, so it’s normal they have no loyalty to him nor share in his vision.
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I rode into battle with the President, I had my fair share of cuts and bleeding, I paid my dues I didn’t abandon the battle field while the fight was on and they were in the comfort of their homes while we were going door to door canvassing for votes.
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